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21 September 2018 Photo Charl Devinish
Abe Bailey Bursary victor
“I believe in self learning,” says 2018 UFS Abe Bailey victor, Nkahiseng Ralepeli.

The Abe Bailey Trust is a leadership-development opportunity that targets university students or junior lecturers who are academically strong and have shown exceptional qualities of leadership and service. Recipients of the bursary are required to have a good record of accomplishments, not only on campus but also in a broader social context, where they function as an integral piece of a select and highly-skilled group of individuals.

Ralepeli, the over-achiever

Final-year Law student, Nkahiseng Ralepeli, embodies this exact description and exemplifies the essence of distinction and merit when it comes to who he is. Ralepeli  who has represented the university at various international debate platforms, an alumni of the F1 programme to Thailand and other leadership programmes such, recently, International Youth Leadership Conference (IYLC) programme in Prague, will represent the University of the Free State (UFS) during the Abe Bailey Travel Bursary tour in the UK in December 2018. He, along with 16 other candidates from other South African tertiary institutions, will participate in the tour for its full duration and will take part in the exciting developmental programme that is planned.

With an intense but fruitful leadership-training schedule, he said he was looking forward to meeting the British members of parliament as well as other persons of stature in the British government.

Travelling: A catalyst for critical thinking


Ralepeli, who was also 3rd overall Kovsie Dux student, underlined that he truly enjoys travelling. He has subsequently mastered the art of constantly positioning himself among the best academically and socially, and this has aided his mission to trot the globe extensively, which he has been doing since his junior years.

A man of value

“I have a small yet select and impactful network of people in my life who play an influential role in reminding me during times of triumph that, while it is important to celebrate, each win is just a step towards the ultimate goal of success,” said Ralepeli. 

He emphasised the importance of the roles played by those close to him, describing them as “my double-edged sword who played a crucial role in carving out the inner Nkahiseng, who, hopefully, will do great things”. The Kovsie Dux believes that those you surround yourself with, channel the kind of energy that will either make or break you.

News Archive

Accreditation status of the UFS School of Medicine
2016-06-14

This communication is a factual correction of the misinformation and accompanying hysteria that appeared in a local newspaper this past week on the accreditation status of programmes in the Faculty of Health Sciences’ School of Medicine. Here are the facts:
 
1. The flagship programme of the School of Medicine, the MB ChB, was fully accredited by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) through the year 2020. This is the maximum accreditation status that any programme can achieve, and the UFS leadership is extremely pleased with this outcome, as it expresses confidence in the work done by our academics in the School of Medicine. Not only was the basic medical training for new doctors fully accredited, the HPSCA approved an increase in the number of trainee doctors from 140 to 160, and also approved additional training sites in Trompsburg and Kimberley.
 
2. The honours programmes of the School of Medicine received full accreditation as well.
 
3. All the master’s degree programmes in the School of Medicine also received accreditation. The UFS is especially pleased with the significant improvements in the Department of Cardiology, which now has a full complement of staff under the leadership of the highly regarded cardiologist, Prof Makoali Makotoko.
 
4. Four master’s programmes received provisional accreditation, which means that (a) these programmes continue to be taught and (b) outstanding issues, such as inadequate staffing, must be fixed. It does not mean that these programmes will be or are likely to be discontinued.
 
5. It is a fact that staff retire or resign in all schools and departments of any university. It is also true that these departures offer opportunities to bring new academic and professional staff into the UFS. In fact, for the first time virtually every department in the School of Medicine now has a full-time Head of Department and 46 new staff were appointed since January 2015.
 
6. The main employer of academic staff in the School of Medicine is the provincial Department of Health (DoH), and the UFS works very closely and persistently with the Free State DoH to ensure that vacant posts are filled.
 
7. The attacks on the integrity of the outgoing Head of the School of Medicine were malicious. Prof Alan St Clair Gibson did not resign ‘overnight’; his departure has nothing to do with the accreditation status of the School – in fact, he can be proud of this achievement; and he effectively takes up a promotion post in New Zealand as academic Dean at the University of Waikato. Prof St Clair Gibson will be remembered for his leadership in transformation, especially regarding staff and student equity in the School of Medicine, and for securing our programme accreditation. For this, the university is deeply grateful.

Released by:
Lacea Loader (Director: Communication and Brand Management)
Telephone: +27(0)51 401 2584 | +27(0)83 645 2454
Email: news@ufs.ac.za | loaderl@ufs.ac.za
Fax: +27(0)51 444 6393

 

 



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